How far back does 'Hipdang-dong' go?

One of several closed bars in the pork alley of Central Market, June 8 / Courtesy of Matt VanVolkenburg

By Matt VanVolkenburg

• Published Jun 16, 2026 12:50 PM KST

For years, a sign above a side street next to Exit 1 of Sindang Station on Seoul Metro lines 2 and 6 announced that visitors were entering the “Seoul Central Market Furniture District.” Then, in 2023, this was replaced by a new sign reading “1946 Hwanghak Furniture Street.”

The sign raises several questions, particularly as an accompanying information board outlining the history of the area's furniture and rice markets fails to explain why it bears the date 1946.

It explains that in 1950s and 1960s the area was known as the "largest grain wholesale and retail market in the country" which “prospered to the extent that it distributed over 70% of the rice consumed by Seoul citizens at the time,” and also notes that it was at a rice shop there in 1938 that Hyundai founder Chung Yu-yung first honed his business skills. It also notes that the area was once known for “specializing in furniture for newlyweds,” though now it “primarily deals in commercial furniture,” particularly for the food service industry, but makes no mention of the fact that furniture stores and factories did not actually appear in the area until the 1980s.

One possible explanation may be that the nearby Central Market traces its roots when Seongdong Market, named after the surrounding district, was founded in 1946. By the early 1960s it had taken on the name Seongdong Central Market, but was forced to drop the Seongdong part of its name when the area was incorporated into Jung District in 1975. Rather confusingly, it was renamed "Seoul Central Market." The new sign, however, makes no mention of this market.

These omissions suggest that the new sign and information board were installed in response to local gentrification. The early 2020s had seen a small but growing number of cafes, bars and restaurants opening in renovated market buildings. These buildings were constructed in the 1950s to 1970s, and could be found scattered throughout the Central Market and its side alleys. The gentrification was particularly concentrated in an alley west of the new sign, centered around the cafe Simsejeong and cocktail bar Zoosindang, which opened in 2017 and 2019, respectively. As they drew attention and more “hip” businesses opened, the media dubbed the area “Hipdang-dong.”

But what did “hip” even mean when applied to these establishments? Arguably, these cafes, bars and restaurant clusters across the country tend to have three things in common: non-Korean signage (English and Japanese dominate), interior design built to highlight the vintage qualities of the buildings they’re housed in and online promotion via social media. Other businesses, such as unmanned photo studios, also often appear — the area north of Sindang Station has six, with another on the way.

One place where these new, trendy businesses failed to take root was the main street of the furniture market. Given the suspicious looks that photographing the area can draw from furniture store owners, it is quite possible that the new sign was erected and the market's history implicitly backdated by decades to stake out territory amid gentrifying encroachment..

In truth, the furniture sellers might not have been so worried. “Hipdang-dong” is no Seongsu-dong about to be flooded with new, youth-oriented establishments and then inundated by a second wave of multinational chain stores. The peak in new businesses passed in 2023, and closures began in 2024, affecting newcomers and established businesses alike.

To the north of the station, the area west of Exit 1 has the highest concentration of these trendier businesses, and has seen a 30 percent increase in new business openings over the past two years. Overall, 45 such businesses have opened and 11 closed there — a 24 percent closure rate. The Central Market area, on the other hand, has seen a 22 percent decrease in new businesses over the past two years and a 37 percent closure rate, a decline that likely reflects that the market's claustrophobic back alleys were less attractive to customers than business owners had hoped.

A lesser-known section of “Hipdang-dong” is the area south of Sindang Station, which is twice as large as the northern sections and therefore much more sparsely populated with newer businesses. The area, currently hosting over 70 stores focused on attracting young, hip patrons, saw an 11 percent increase in openings over the past two years, while the past decade has seen a 25 percent closure rate. They tend to be gathered in clusters made up of six to 12 businesses each — once a business establishes itself successfully, others settle in nearby.

Looking at the slow spread of businesses targeting young people in the Sindang area and the way in which the district has maintained its character despite these changes, a sign staking territory by backdating a traditional market’s founding may have turned out to be unnecessary, but it still stands as a testament to the tensions that arise when the specter of gentrification looms over a neighborhood.

The aforementioned markets and surrounding neighborhoods will be visited, and many more stories about Sindang-dong’s history and urban development will be shared, this coming Saturday during an excursion by Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea. Participation costs 30,000 won, or 25,000 won for RAS Korea members. Visit raskb.com for more information.

Matt VanVolkenburg has a master's degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington. He is the blogger behind populargusts.blogspot.kr, and co-author of "Called by Another Name: A Memoir of the Gwangju Uprising."